VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

HISTORY NEEDS BALANCED APPROACH

Thank you to Leo J. Deveau and Len Canfield for bringing some balance to the conversation about colonialism. The fact that Canadian history taught in schools was often lopsided does not justify making it lopsided in the other direction.

Background and context are missing in many current contentious conversations. In the case of colonialism, not often is it mentioned that almost every nation or ethnic group on the planet has been conquered and/ or displaced.

Nancy Robinson, Bear River

‘BENEFITS OF EMPIRE’ MADE BEST OF BAD JOB

I was enthralled by the Deveau/canfield article May 26 regarding colonialism and empire.

I felt in it a Churchillian/johnsonian feeling that empire was a jolly idea and should be revitalized to the extent possible, even a hint that there ought be no talk of reparations for the systemic ills spawned by the practice of slavery.

More engaging even was the inference that the empire was the necessary fount of our civilization, of our laws, education, science and governance, and that this civilization is the ideal form of society, or at least the closest possible to that perfection.

I was quite engaged by the idea that England built civilization through the structures of empire. Fair business practices and education and scientific inquiry were cited as the fundamentals. Yet it seems to me these traditions were intended for the benefit of the English people and helped others only accidentally.

Recipients of a good imperial education might be glad of their training in matters academic and yet feel that a Eurocentric education engendered a distorted perspective on the world. People might even think that the empire, far from modelling the best civilization possible, stultified and obstructed other potential forms of civilization.

Praising empire as a civilizing influence is a bit like saying wars have always inspired progress in medicine and industry. I have heard that advances in engineering and medicine followed the great wars of the last century. I have never heard that offered as a justification of those wars.

I suspect that the fairest appraisal of the “benefits of empire” referred to in that essay is that the empire was developed for England’s benefit. The traditions of education, law, science and politics were not altruistic gifts to the world, neither were they the best of all possibilities. Rather, they are the best that could be made of a bad job.

But I agree that it is worth understanding how they were developed, by whom, for whom and why. Then we can figure out how to create something by the efforts of all peoples and for the good of all peoples.

Dermot Monaghan, Kingston

COMPASSION FOR PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA

Dementia is not a comfortable zone, be it victim or caregiver, and it varies from mild to severe cases.

First-hand experience with a mild-case dementia person in my household tells me we are capable of one more way we can prevent causing unnecessary embarrassment to people with dementia.

Hospital and clinic appointments are one area we are looking at. I noticed that at our two last visits, one at a hospital, the other at a clinic, the first question the registry desk worker asked the person with dementia was “What’s your date of birth?”

I stood close by watching the mystified person try to verbally give the correct answer. I stepped in and was permitted my help in the matter.

People behind a registry desk need to be informed ahead of time. In the future, whenever an appointment is necessary, I will be phoning ahead to give a heads-up by explaining the matter.

I believe a patient’s dementia stage information, from mild and beyond, be posted in hospital and clinic registry computers so the desk worker has knowledge to deal with the incoming patient at the point of arrival. If “What’s your date of birth?” has to be asked, then a caregiver should be granted the right to give the answer for the patient.

This small request could prevent an unnecessary embarrassing moment. How are we to know what the patient may be thinking?

Clarence Landry, Seaview